Macbeth Context and Summary

What are the eight most important events in the play

1. Macbeth is visited by the witches and given his prophecy
2. Macbeth kills Duncan
3. Macbeth is crowned King
4. Macbeth kills Banquo, and later hallucinates his ghost
5. Macduff flees to England and joins forces with Malcolm
6. Macbeth receives his second prophecy from the witches so decides to kill Macduff's family
7. Lady Macbeth kills herself, and Macbeth collapses
8. Malcolm, Macduff, and many of the other nobles advance on dunsinane, Macduff kills Macbeth, and Malcolm is crowned king

How does the character of Macbeth change

Through the character of Macbeth, Shakespeare overall represents the consequences of regicide and the punishment for disrupting the great chain of being
- One way in which he changes is his views surrounding morality- when first faced with the premise of murdering Duncan, he describes his 'thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical' has 'smothered function'; evidently he finds this all quite distressing and morally questionable; in other words he has the morality of a normal person, and the audience can associate themselves with him
However, when later faced with the concept of murdering the innocent son and wife of Macduff, he says casually 'the firstlings of my head shall be the firstlings of my hand'; her has no remorse for his actions and now has no cares for what he does.
- Another way in which he changes is his ambition; while it may be his hamartia, it was a key aspect to his successful personality, and is one of the reasons he is so admired by his fellow noblemen, and the audience; when faced with the concept of taking the crown, while having scruples, showed he was confident enough to do it, even commanding that the 'stars hide [their] fires, let not light see my black and deep desires'.
However after the death of Lady Macbeth, after he has become king, after he knows he has sacrificed everything for power he hopelessly exclaims 'Out, Out brief candle, life's but a walking shadow'- his ambitions have all but disappeared

In what ways are Macbeth and Duncan different as kings

Duncan is presented as a noble and fair king, benevolent, and beloved by his people; his nobles are loyal to him, showing their respect to him, and the removal of his line from the crown shows a disturbance, such as horses reported to be 'eating each other'.
Macbeth rules with tyranny. He removes suspicion of his crimes, in the form of Banquo, through murder, and indirect cowardly murder at that. His rule is seen as unnatural, the natural order disrupted as he usurps the throne. Not only this, he kills what was thought as the weakest group of society, the women and children; when he orders the murder of the Macduffs, he orders his men to do it, again showing his cowardly nature, and does it to attempt to punish and intimidate Macduff; he rules with a complete lack of empathy, making bad decisions and ruthlessly and mercilessly murdering those who oppose him

How does the character of Lady Macbeth change

In the exposition she appears machiavellian, sadistic, and psychopathic to the audience, as well as a catalyst to Macbeth's damning ambition; when he appears cautious and reluctant to follow through with the murder of Duncan, she asks 'art thou a man', evidently attempting to manipulate Macbeth by emasculating him.
Furthermore, the way she acts and the things she says, repulse and shock the audience, as well as defying the social norms; 'unsex me here, and take my milk for gall'- defying the social norms of a woman's place in society, and defying the natural order of the great chain of being; when talking about her own baby, 'I would, as it were smiling in my face... dashed the brains out'; as well as 'i fear thou art too full o'th'milk of human kindness' associates Macbeth with a woman, again defying the natural order

However, by the end, she is a direct juxtaposition to her former self. For example, her debonair and careless nature after their regicide, such as 'a little water clears us of this deed', is then comparable with when the doctor and nurse say she 'rubs her hands', and she exclaims 'out damn spot, out I say'; her talk of children can then be compared with 'one, two' and 'to bed, to bed', implying she has now taken the place of the child; 'will all great neptune's oceans wash this blood clean from my hands?' can be compared with 'all the perfumes of arabia will not sweeten this little hand' and 'there's the smell of blood still'

What is the symbolism of blood

Blood is used as a continuous motif across the play to symbolise guilt, especially regarding guilt and the morals of the character both regarding murder and regicide. For example, after killing Duncan, Macbeth cries 'will all great neptune's oceans wash this blood clean from my hand?' while Lady Macbeth says 'a little water clears us of this deed'. However later on, Lady Macbeth says 'here's the smell of blood still' and 'out damn spot, out I say', while Macbeth says 'it will have blood they say: blood will have blood' and 'I am in blood.. stepp'd in so far'; Lady macbeth and macbeth have reverse views on guilt as the play progresses through the way in which they discuss blood

What is the symbolism of the weather

As in other Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth's grotesque murder spree is accompanied by a number of unnatural occurrences in the natural realm. From the thunder and lightning that accompany the witches' appearances to the terrible storms that rage on the night of Duncan's murder, these violations of the natural order reflect corruption in the moral and political orders.

What is the symbolism of sleep

Sleep is used as a show of vulnerability, like when Macbeth slaughters Duncan in his sleep, but also to show comfort and security; after Macbeth has committed regicide he says 'Methought I heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep"—the innocent sleep'; this can imply that because Macbeth has committed such an awful act against the natural order that he will never feel comfortable or safe again as a punishment